TfL proposes to trim 171 and 172 routes

TfL is proposing to shorten two Brockley bus routes as part of a rejigging designed to reduce central London congestion. 853 reports:

Route 171 from Catford Bus Garage and Brockley to Holborn would be cut back from Holborn to Elephant and Castle under the scheme.

And the 172 from Brockley Rise faces being trimmed back from Clerkenwell to Aldwych.

The scheme affects routes from across London, and also brings a permanent end for Routemaster services a step closer, proposing reducing the “heritage” services on route 15 along Fleet Street using the vintage vehicles to summer weekends and bank holidays only.

The consultation will start next month.

For the full article, click here. Thank you to Joe.

Fewer 484s

Due to unpopular demand, from January 6th, the 484 bus from Camberwell Green to Lewisham Station will run less frequently. TfL has announced a raft of cuts, and notes:

To match demand, we’re changing the frequency: Monday to Saturday day times buses will run  every 12 minutes (previously every 10 minutes).

Thanks to 853 for the heads up.

Lewisham's Lament Configuration Shifts Again

Lewisham layout changes again this Sunday. Check bus routes @BrockleyCentral @TheLewishamWay pic.twitter.com/0nnYceMA1k

— Claire Shaw (@clairebaigent) August 26, 2016

Naughty Bus

Rebecca wants help bringing a bus to justice. She writes:

Last Thursday, our car was parked overnight at the end of Harefield Road, near the sorting office. When we went to the car at about 1:30pm, it had obviously been hit by a bus. There was red fibre glass everywhere and the wheel was bent out.

The bodywork only looked mildly scraped, but it could not be driven as something connecting the wheel had been bent. Basically the whole steering system has been damaged and £600 in, the car is still not driving properly.

We believe this was a 484 and have spoken to the bus depot in Camberwell, as well as the bus company that runs the route and the police. So far, we have got nowhere. Apparently, this sort of thing happens a lot but with no witnesses or number plate, we have no insurance cover.

We are therefore appealing for anyone who may have been on the 484 travelling along Harefield Mews between 4:30am and 1:30pm on Thursday 21st January, who may have witnessed a bus hit a silver convertible Audi A4. Or for people to contact us with similar experiences, so we can put pressure on those responsible to take more care.

If anyone has any relevant information, please contact me here.

West Side crash blocks 343 and 484 bus routes

#RTC in #Brockley, no loss of life (thank God) buses 343 & 484 routes & surrounding roads affected #trafficLondon pic.twitter.com/86un5RCS0W

— Yomi (@tekopikin) September 26, 2015

284 bus route consultation

TfL have launched a public consultation about the future of the 284 bus route between Ladywell and Catford Bridge.

The plans will involve introducing more bus stops along the route, at the cost of parking space on Manwood and Chudleigh Roads. TfL says:

We are proposing to introduce fixed bus stops along the existing the hail and ride section between Ladywell and Catford. Our drivers are finding it increasingly difficult to find safe places to stop along this route.

This proposal will introduce 16 bus stops along Chudleigh Road, Bexhill Road, Manwood Road and Ravensbourne Park. The proposed bus stops would be a fixed post and flag, although where appropriate lamp columns may be used. 

They also want to know whether you prefer your buses to stick to the roads or mount walls. Click here to participate. Thanks to Patrick for the tip-off.

Vicars Hill crash strands 484

Photo taken by Lewisham MPS

This morning, a 484 bus managed to snare itself on a front garden wall on Vicars Hill, on the Lewisham side of Hilly Fields. No-one was injured.

47 and N199 to go all night

With the Jubilee Line becoming an all-night service from September, TfL is proposing to extend the operating hours of two local bus routes, to link up with Canada Water.

This consultation document shows that the 47 and the N199 will offer extended services, with the former running every 30 minutes all night to Bellingham and the latter running every 30 minutes towards Bellingham, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when they will be running every 20 minutes.

The East London Line will start running all night to New Cross from 2017.

The New Cross-Lambeth North express: Number 53 depowered until March

Sneaky and very, very nasty bus cut from @TfL - 53 to terminate at Lambeth North from 17 January. https://t.co/KCtnxgPg7i
— Darryl (@darryl1974) January 15, 2015

The Number 53. King of buses. Growing up in south east London, it was the closest thing we knew to a loving god. Oh sure, Thor was more useful and the 54 was cooler, but the 53 - with its long, sinuous route - meant that it would soon appear by our side whenever we were lost and alone - our scarlet sentinel.

But TfL is doing a Delilah to the 53, lopping off its route, so that from January 17th until March 29th, its journey will end at the fairly useless Lambeth North due to nearby roadworks.

Bus travel, already annoying at the best of times, just got worse. To do it without warning at a time when South East London's public transport system is in chaos, is ridiculous.

Crofton Park bus fire closes Brockley Road

Bus on fire outside my house. I slept through it but friend took a photo while in progress @BrockleyCentral pic.twitter.com/v6qnrt1tHQ
— Andrew Davies (@Spiderham) August 13, 2014

Routes 122 171 172 are back to line of route following earlier diversion due to vehicle fire at Crofton Park Station.
— TfL Bus Alerts (@TfLBusAlerts) August 13, 2014

The 484 and 172 among London's busiest buses

The London Assembly transport committee has identified two Brockley bus routes (the 484 and 172) as being among the top 10 most crowded routes in the capital, according to a passenger survey. In a report issued last month, the committee examined how the system will be able to cope with continued passenger growth - 4% growth in the last ten years, with 7% growth predicted in the next 10):

The committee calls for the Mayor to publish a new strategy to show how London will respond to growing demand and makes a number of recommendations of its own, although they mainly amount to "run a good bus service". You can read the report here. The results of the survey should mean that the 484 and 172 (and South East London bus routes in general) receive particular attention.

With thanks to Laura.

Will Brockley's buses cope with passenger growth?

The London Assembly is asking Brockley Central readers to complete this survey. They explain:

Nearly 6.5 million passengers in London travel by bus each day on 700 different routes. Will London buses be able to cope with the additional demand triggered by the capital’s rapidly rising population? As London grows by the equivalent of two full buses each day, will failure to expand the capital’s bus network mean passengers face overcrowded and unreliable services?

The London Assembly launched an in-depth investigation – reaching out to policy makers, transport experts and millions of London bus passengers – to examine whether the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) can meet current and future demand for buses without damaging its reputation.

The London Assembly also wants to hear from passengers about how they feel about their local services. They are being are asked to fill in a short survey that will feed into the investigation.

Chair of the Transport Committee, Valerie Shawcross AM, said:

“As half of all bus journeys made in the UK each day are taken in London, it is vital we see our bus network grow from strength to strength rather than suffer damage due to neglecting the changing needs of the capital.  The growth in passengers shown over the last decade shows no signs of diminishing. TfL’s business plan does not provide for expansion of the bus network, and unless plans are secured to deal with extra passengers, London buses run the risk of entering a period of decline.

“We intend to gather the views of passengers across London for our investigation to help Assembly form strong recommendations to avoid a decline in standards across the bus network. Otherwise London’s growing reputation as a model city for buses could be under threat.”

The Twilight Zone

You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster, or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples; it could also be something much better. Prepare to enter: The Scary Door.
- Futurama

Reader Jim has asked Lewisham Council to find an urgent solution to traffic chaos on his street, caused by the recent expansion of the Ladywell CPZ, which has shifted more parked cars on to narrow streets used by the 484 bus.

He has written to Mayor Bullock to complain about the impact that the Ladywell CPZ has had on Brookbank, Shell Road and Vicar Hill. The litany of woe includes scrapes, road rage, traffic jams and one occasion when a bus careened in to someone's front garden - exhibit A:

He says:

The CPZ did not account for the bus route. This was a major failure that requires urgent attention. It is not fair to residents. It also is not fair to the people using the 484. Most of all, it is not fair to the bus drivers of the 484 route. 

Inner London least car-dependent place in Britain

The Campaign for Better Transport's (CBT) annual study of car dependency in British cities, released yesterday, found that London is the least car-dependent city in the UK.

London scored so highly thanks in large part to the quality of its bus services and the pre-Olympic investment in public transport infrastructure, but it's a little surprising to discover that London was ever off the top of the list, given the state of most British cities.

Encouragingly, the report found that "London was the only city where we estimated less than half of people commuted by car," and that "low car ownership in inner boroughs combined with low car usage for school travel and commuting helped London to top the driving category."

As the Council conducts a consultation on a possible borough-wide CPZ, predicated on the basis that population growth will inevitably increase pressure on parking space on Lewisham's roads, it's worth keeping in mind that the long-term trend for car ownership per capita in inner London is down. Fewer and fewer people feel the need to own a car, and with most of the new homes being built next to transport hubs (another CBT recommendation) per capita car ownership is likely to experience another big drop.

In six years of living in here, near Brockley station, where large numbers of new homes have been added and where commuters numbers have shot up thanks to the East London Line, we've not noticed any increase in the number of cars parked on our road. Parking is still relatively easy. This is not to say that cars and parking are not big problems in some areas, but that CPZs are not necessarily the right solution.

Cuts planned to 436 and 453 bus routes [UPDATED]

The London Assembly LibDems believe the Mayor Johnson is planning significant cuts to the capacity of the 436 and 453 bus routes that run through Peckham, New Cross and, in the case of the 436, Brockley. As the Mayor seeks to bolster his re-election (and ultimately Prime Ministerial) credentials by suggesting he can implement painless cuts while getting rid of the efficient bendy buses, it's vital that the impact of budget cuts to front line services and the populist anti-bendy campaign is properly understood.

A statement released by the LibDems today says:

Two key bus routes which run from Lewisham, through Southwark, Lambeth and into Westminster are set to become far more crowded, predicts Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson.

The Mayor and Transport for London are now planning huge changes to the timetable for the 436 and 453 bus routes, when new buses replace the current bendy buses.
Through detailed research Caroline Pidgeon has revealed that the new bus routes will cause a serious reduction in bus capacity ie. the number of people who can sit, or safely stand on a  bus) on the 436 bus route of:

180 places per hour on weekdays, at peak time every morning 
145 places per hour on weekdays, at peak time every evening 
280 places per hour in the weekday bus services during the rest of the day 

On Saturdays and Sundays the situation is even worse on the 436 bus route, with reductions of 280 places per hour during the day on Saturdays and 175 places during the day on Sundays.

Similar reductions in bus capacity will take place on the 453 bus route throughout almost every part of the day.  For example, during Saturdays there will be a reduction in capacity of 280 places per hour during the day on this bus route.  A similar reduction in hourly capacity will take place during the week.    Only on Friday and Saturday nights and during the weekday peak time is there a very small increase in capacity.

Caroline Pidgeon commenting on these proposals from Boris Johnson and Transport for London said:

“If the Mayor wants to quickly get rid of every bendy bus route in London that is one thing. However he has no right to reduce bus capacity and increase overcrowding on these key bus routes.


UPDATE: BBC London's Transport Correspondent Tom Edwards has posted to alert us to the fact that he's reported on the story today. You can watch the piece, which is bang-on (nice juxtaposition of the story with Boris' conference speech yesterday) via his blog.

Live bus data from TfL

The Transport for London website now offers live data telling you when buses will be departing any London bus stop. As a tool, it becomes particularly powerful on smart phones, allowing you to judge whether to wait for a bus, find an alternative or do something better with your time and come back in ten minutes. As Diamond Geezer says:

This isn't just useful, it's a game-changer for public transport access in London. Now every bus stop has a Countdown display, even if you can only see it virtually, allowing optimal decision making and on-the-hoof journey planning.

Here's a screen grab of services around Brockley Station, with data for departures north and south from Millmark Grove. Have a play.

The Lewisham Literacy Festival

Thanks to Faye, who sent us this photo from Andwell Road.

Bus Countdown clocks for Lewisham

The locations for the first Bus Countdown signs, which tell you how long you have to wait until the next bus will arrive and if there are any problems on the route, have been revealed.

Key locations in the area include Crofton Park Station, Lewisham College, New Cross Station and Lewisham town centre.

For the full map, click here.

Thanks to Ramble for the tip-off.

New 484s introduced

Albert Einstein issued one of my most favourite quotes in the history of the spoken word. And it is as follows: In the middle of opportunity... 'scuse me. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. I'm going to repeat that so I have clarity tonight. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for!

- Phil Davidson

The softer, gentler 484 buses have begun operation and Vesta Road resident 'Vesta Curry' reports:

The new Enviro 200 buses have started plying the 484 route - very significant improvement in noise pollution! I live on Vesta Road and the buses gunning up the hill were very noisy. I would say 50% less noise.

Extend the 63 bus route to Honor Oak?

Tonight's Crofton Park Transport Users Group will hear from Peckham campaigners who want the 63 bus route extended from Forest Hill Road to Honor Oak Park, to connect it with the local facilities and of course the East London Line.

Aside from adding a few extra passengers to local train services (the connection might be less useful once the ELL extension to Clapham via Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye opens in 2012 anyway), are there any significant pros or cons for local people to this proposal?